PBKS vs SRH Preview: Punjab, Hyderabad eye third win of the season
Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) collide in match No. 23 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mohali on Tuesday, April 9.
Punjab has two wins and as many losses from four games in IPL 2024 and is placed at No. 6 on the points table. Meanwhile, Sunrisers also have two wins and two losses from four matches but a superior net run-rate has kept them above the Kings at No. 5 on the table.
Both teams are coming off victories and would be looking to continue the winning momentum. Hyderabad has had a stop-start campaign so far. They lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in their opening game but went on to register their first win of the season against Mumbai Indians in their second match. Hyderabad lost to Gujarat Titans in their third game before returning to winning ways against Chennai Super Kings in their most recent clash.
The batters have been in sizzling form for the Sunrisers. They have made some of the best bowlers in world cricket look ordinary with their phenomenal ball-striking ability. The bowling department also stood up and made a mark in the last game. The bowlers stuck to their plans commendably to restrict the Super Kings to a low score.
Punjab Kings have not been firing on all cylinders so far in the league. They started with a win against Delhi Capitals but suffered back-to-back losses against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Super Giants. However, they picked up a thrilling three-wicket win in the last game and it must have done a world of good to their confidence.
Captain Shikhar Dhawan has been in decent touch. The emergence of Shashank Singh has been like a breath of fresh air. The latter hit a match-winning 61 not out off 29 balls in the last game to help Punjab chase down a 200-run target. However, the bowling unit needs to step up as the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Harshal Patel have been very expensive.
Head to Head
The Kings and Sunrisers have faced each other on 21 occasions. The Orange Army has won 14 matches, while the Punjab-based franchise has won in only seven instances.
Pitch Report
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium generally provides tracks that are not very suitable for chasing teams. The ball tends to come slowly off the surface. Scoring runs inside the powerplay is going to be crucial for both teams. In the first IPL match played at this venue between Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, batting got easier when the lights came on. However, it was an afternoon clash. The captain who wins the toss would want to bat first and put a solid score on the board.
Probable Playing XI
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Jonny Bairstow, Prabsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (Wk), Sikandar Raza, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel Impact Sub – Arshdeep Singh
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Shahbaz Ahmed, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande Impact Sub – Jaydev Unadkat
